Tracking the Sun’s Path for the World’s Largest Solar Concentrator

In early 2023, the world’s largest and most efficient solar concentrator was installed in Western India to power a hospital and research center. The impressive construction will produce steam for multiple applications as well as electricity for air conditioners. To maximize irradiance yield, the engineers are aligning the 26-ton concentrator with the path of the sun, utilizing data from the RaZON+ sun tracker by OTT HydroMet’s product brand Kipp & Zonen.

Often times, the first thing that comes to mind when talking about solar energy is photovoltaics (PV). That is based on the photovoltaic effect: Light particles known as photons hit a semiconductor and stimulate the excitation of electrons. Due to an electrical field within the semiconductor (space-charge region) these electrons move towards a charged electrode. As a result, direct current flows.